Digital India & the Cyber Security Threat.

India is rapidly moving towards a digital ecosystem. The number of connected devices is only increasing and the Internet is penetrating the remotest of areas, but have we covered all our bases? There are huge gaps in India's cyber-security infrastructure. India might be ready for a digital future but is it truly prepared to handle the security risks that tag along? 

PM Modi inaugurates 'Digital India Week', warns of cyber threats
New Delhi: Articulating global worries over cyber security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India should come up with solutions to meet the challenge posed by this threat of "bloodless war" as he launched a digital campaign to which top companies pledged Rs 4.5 lakh crore.

Inaugurating 'Digital India Week' in New Delhi, he pitched for a digital revolution in the country, saying it is necessary to deal with problems like corruption, help provide transparent and efficient governance and bridge the rich-poor divide.

"We have to move from E-governance to M-governance. M-governance does not mean Modi governance. It means Mobile governance," he said in the presence of several ministerial colleagues and who's who of Indian industry and CEOs of some global companies.

The Prime Minister noted that India has huge capabilities in the field of IT and promised to encourage manufacturing within the country of electronic goods, which account for second largest imports after petroleum products. He specifically mentioned start ups in this regard.

While highlighting the advantages of the IT, Modi said, at the same time, "clouds of a bloodless war are hovering over the world. The world is terrified by this....India has a big role to play in this.

"Can India play this big role? India has talent. Can India provide a shield to the world by providing innovative and credible solutions?

Why should we not have such a confidence?

We should accept this challenge to ensure that the entire humanity lives in peace," Modi said.

While talking about dangers posed to cyber security, he said, "somebody, with education of 10th or 12th class, sitting thousands of miles away, can clean up your bank account with a click of mouse." This situation needs to be addressed, he said.

Noting that India had lagged when the world went through the industrial revolution, the Prime Minister said he dreams of a 'Digital India' where government services are easily available to citizens on mobile devices and barriers between the rich and the poor are removed.

"I dream of a Digital India where government proactively engages with people through social media... I dream of Digital India where cyber security becomes integral part of national security...I dream of a digital India ..

Security in the age of Digital India 

While both Smart Cities and Digital India will create new economic and social opportunities, they will also be creating an increasingly large attack surface for cyber criminals.

When you talk to the visiting heads of the technology giants about the government’s ambitious Digital India and Smart Cities initiatives, usually the focus is around scale of the project, capacity to do it and eventually the conversation will move to the subject of cyber security. Nowadays security breaches are a regular feature. So much so that the insurance giant Aetna recently announced that it was going to approach cyber security as one more business risk that needs to be managed and insured in the same way that company manages fluctuating currency prices or the threats of lawsuits.

The integrated digital footprint created by Digital India and Smart Cities is likely to bring formidable and increasing demand on resources to defend against the multiplying threat levels and entry points. While both Smart Cities and Digital India will create new economic and social opportunities, they will also be creating an increasingly large attack surface for criminals to exploit as an initial foothold or vector into otherwise well-protected IT environments. The government initiative that seeks to transform the country into a connected economy can be successful only when security of the connected devices is assured.

The increasing synchronisation and interpretation of existing digital data and processes within government departments will require maximising security posture while keeping critical data flowing in such a daunting threat environment.

Despite all the cyber security risks, the movement towards Digital India is inevitable. The government and enterprises realize this and efforts are on for developing better systems for maintaining security while also taking advantage of the plethora of technological applications that have exploded during the last few years. The challenge is that presently, majority of government departments and e-governance projects are working in silos but this cannot be the case with Digital India, a R1.13-lakh crore initiative that seeks to transform the country into a connected economy, attract investment in manufacturing, improve citizen service delivery and create millions of jobs and support business.

“As Digital India and the concept of Smart Cities takes shape, security needs to be considered as integral part rather than an afterthought. Securing data at all the times, protection of citizen’s information at large and security of critical infrastructure need to be ensured through strict compliance with the security policy and using modern techniques, tools and processes,” Tarun Kaura, director—Technology Sales, India, Symantec, told FE.

So far, Digital India and Smart Cities initiatives have put spotlight back to India. Global CIOs and tech leaders are optimistic about the programme, in couple of years, they expect the country to embrace new generation technology. “There has been dramatic changes in India. Indian government and enterprises’ willingness to look into the challenge of cyber security has substantially increased,” said Stephen DuBravac, executive vice-president, Security Weaver.

Generally, across the globe, government and businesses have been reluctant to invest in security b2ecause they have too many other project to execute and security does not become the priority. But now there is shift; security is becoming more of high priority task as the growing trend of digitisation and using own devices is posing critical questions on how to manage security in the age of Digital India.

There is no clear answer, but it should not come as a surprise if we consider the views of someone like Bruce Schneier, the noted American cryptographer, who says, “Security is not a product, but a process.”

Appin Ara